Photo of Jessica Prentice preparing food in her kitchen. Cooking with Jessica Prentice, the cookbook author who is promoting "cooking in the foodshed" month. In other words, using only ingredients that are grown within a 100-mile radius of San Francisco. Event on 5/24/05 in Berkeley. Craig Lee / The Chronicle

Photo: Craig Lee

Photo of Jessica Prentice preparing food in her kitchen. Cooking...

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Photo of Jessica Prentice shopping for snap peas from Richard Firme of Gustine. Cooking with Jessica Prentice, the cookbook author who is promoting "cooking in the foodshed" month. In other words, using only ingredients that are grown within a 100-mile radius of San Francisco. Event on 5/24/05 in Berkeley. Craig Lee / The Chronicle

As World Environmental Day opens in San Francisco, with 100 mayors brainstorming about environmental problems worldwide, four Northern California women are viewing the issues through the prism of their own kitchens.

Calling themselves the Locavores, the women -- Lia McKinney, Jessica Prentice, Dede Sampson and Sage Van Wing -- are passionate about eating locally and have devised a way to show others how to do that, too.

With San Francisco as the center, they have drawn a circle with a 100- mile radius from the city, and are urging people to buy, cook and eat from within that "foodshed" -- or their own foodshed, based on where they live --

in a monthlong challenge in August called "Celebrate Your Foodshed: Eat Locally."

Eating within a foodshed, they say, is the best way to support the environment.

For the Locavores and others who believe in eating locally, doing so affects the planet's top three problems: the fact that we're on the downhill side of the supply of oil and other fossil fuels, environmental deterioration and economic issues, all of which will be addressed by World Environmental Day meetings this week.

Eating locally is the best way to promote sustainability, say those who are passionate about the practice.

Sustainability in its most general sense means eating in a way that maintains and promotes the health of the planet, the food supply and the people who steward it.

Serving monkfish, which is an endangered species, or snacking on South American cherries in December are not sustainable practices, but eating California-caught Dungeness crab during theNovember-May season, and buying Central Valley cherries in summer are.

"Our food now travels an average of 1,500 miles before ending up on our tables," says one of the Locavores, Sage Van Wing, of Point Reyes. The process imperils "our environment, our health, our communities and our taste buds."

Sustainable food comes from sustainable agriculture, which does not rely on heavy use of petroleum on the farm or in distribution. Besides conserving oil, sustainable agriculture reduces carbon emissions, which are linked to global climate change and poor health. Finally, supporting local agriculture sustains the local economy.

Sustainable vs organic

Organic -- which used to mean largely local, small and family-owned operations -- can now mean food grown half the country away, or abroad, and by large, corporate-owned farms that use highly mechanized methods and distribute through centralized, large transportation systems.

"We have to consider the whole food stream, from genetic inputs to seed, to the quality of labor, to harvest and shipping and packaging and the waste stream," says Henson. "Food miles is another indicator."

"Food miles" are foremost in Jessica Prentice's thoughts as she prepares for the August challenge of eating within the foodshed that she and the Locavores have drawn. We spent an afternoon with Prentice as she shopped and cooked dinner. Between now and August, she and the other Locavores are going through their pantries, researching and refining the boundaries of their personal foodsheds.

Prentice, a professional chef and self-described "passionate home cook," is testing the final recipes for her book, "Thirteen Moons: Food and the Hunger for Connection," to be published by Chelsea Green. (A few of those recipes can be found on these pages.)

The book comprises a series of essays interlaced with recipes that reflect cooking by the 13 lunar months of traditional cultures (see chart). In her essays, she argues for eating in sync with local seasons and for food systems that restore body and land.

Practice run

On a recent visit to the Berkeley Farmers' Market, she did a practice run for the foodshed eat-athon. "How far away is your farm?" she asks a peach farmer. When he answers that he drives about 130 miles, she says, "I guess that means no peaches from him." As the walk continues, she refines her question to, "As the crow flies, how far away is your farm?"

She pauses in front of blueberries. "They're not certified organic, but they don't spray," she says. She believes supporting a local farmer, even if not certified organic, is better than not supporting that farmer at all.

As Prentice passes the coffee vendor, she admits that she used to cruise the farmers' market sipping coffee. Coffee is not local by a long shot, but she hopes potential foodshed participants don't rule themselves out of the challenge because they can't give up their morning cup. "We're not food Nazis, " she jokes.

One goal of the foodshed month is to encourage people to draw their own boundaries. "If you don't want to give up coffee, then maybe you'll buy what's roasted locally," she says.

At the Kashiwase family stone-fruit stand, she points out that "the fourth generation is farming their land." At the Four Sisters produce stand, she says, "When they started, they had 2 inches of topsoil, and now they have 2 feet of it. It's beautiful." One of the main tenets of sustainable farming is the restoration of the farm and surrounding environment and the support of farm families.

Supporting farms

As she approaches Full Belly Farm, the farmer greets her with the news that they are milling their own organic wheat for flour. Wheat (and therefore bread) is one of the big challenges, because wheat is not in her foodshed. While Prentice says sticking to organic corn and potatoes and not making her usual sourdough will be no hardship in August, now she says she'll be able to make a few quick breads and desserts with the Full Belly organic wheat.

She chooses the smaller strawberries from Lucero organic farms. Lucero's smaller, second-year strawberries concentrate flavor, she says, but most farmers pull their first year plants after bearing. She adds that owner Ben Lucero is of Native American descent and as a child traveled around Watsonville with his migrant farmer parents.

Blackberries, boysenberries, snap peas and some free-range eggs complete her shopping. As we pass the booth of an Asian farmer, she says that although the farm is not organic, she supports it because it's local and because it supplies exotic herbs and vegetables that other farms do not.

"Putting money in farmers' hands -- one of my favorite things to do," she says. Good farmers sustain the land, and if you shop farmers' markets year- round, including winter, you enable them to pay for year-round labor, illustrating another anchor in the sustainable movement: social justice.

In her kitchen in Richmond, Prentice cooks simply. She fries pork chops (from pastured pigs) that she has brined, sautes snap peas with a handful of mint from her yard and mashes potatoes with raw cream from pastured cows.

The flavors are stunning. It's the sort of meal that Americans used to put together from small, local farms, from a time when simple food was delicious because of the way the ingredients were raised.

She follows the Nourishing Traditions food philosophy, which advocates a nutrient-dense diet based on traditional agricultural practices. As she cleans up, she talks about what she calls food security. "It's possible that, in my lifetime, food becomes so expensive that we have to rely on what's local."

In the meantime, celebrating August in a California foodshed is as easy as being a rabbit in a carrot patch. We harvest fresh food year-round; January in North Dakota is another story. However, the foodshed is not intended as a hardship, but rather, Van Wing says, "to think about where your food comes from."

Baby steps

For the past decade, Prentice has lived largely by a sustainable repertoire of local food with "sauces, flavors and stretchers" from farther away. Many of those who join the August program will likely follow some variation of that diet, she predicts.

Yet, any activity that promotes awareness of sustainable food networks is welcome, including, she says, "Sitting down to a farmers' market dinner once a week with the kids -- and talking about the food."

While at her level Prentice tries to to figure out if she can find an acceptable local salt, and a substitute for pepper (she says she may draw her personal line at pepper), it's just as important for someone else simply to go to a farmers' market and ask questions.

She compares the challenge of eating locally to running a marathon. For most marathoners, she says, "It doesn't matter where you finish. It's the doing it that matters."

To find out more and sign up for Celebrate the Foodshed: Eat Locally month, visit foodshed.wisefoodways.com Eating by the lunar calendar

To eat from the local foodshed year round, you must know the growing season. Here is a list of some ingredients and foods that express the lunar months of traditional farmers. This list is adapted from Jessica Prentice's soon-to-be published "Thirteen Moons: Food and the Hunger for Connection."

You may find yourself confronted with the choice of organic or local. How do the two fit in each other? Here are the Locavores' guidelines:

-- Whenever possible, buy, eat and cook local -- i.e. within the foodshed.

-- If not locally produced, then organic. This choice generally protects the environment and your body from chemicals and hormones.

-- If not organic, then family farm. If it comes down to Kraft versus Cabot (a dairy co-op in Vermont), choose Cabot.

-- If not family farm, then local business. Coffee and wheat products may be difficult. At least support a local coffee-roasting house and local bakery.

-- If not a local business, then go for terroir. Purchase foods that express the region they are grown in and support the local agriculture. If you're buying Brie, by it from Brie, France; if Parmesan cheese, from Parma, Italy.

-- O.W.

Foodshed sources and alternatives

If you want to practice foodshed eating, but some of the staples of your diet just don't fit, what can you do?

First, research an ingredient to find out where it comes from, then research a local source.

After that, the choices basically boil down to three -- give up the ingredient; ignore the foodshed philosophy for this food and keep eating it; or seek some middle ground using creative strategies such as the following:

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut kernels off corn cobs into a bowl and scrape corn "milk" into the bowl as well. Reserve. Make a quick corn stock by simmering the cobs in about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of the water or broth for about 20 minutes.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter (or heat the olive oil) and saute the onions until translucent. Add the celery and carrot and cook until soft. Add the potatoes and just enough corn stock to cover them. Add the bouquet garni, bring to a boil, and simmer until the potatoes are soft. Add the corn kernels, corn "milk," salt and pepper, and more stock if necessary. Return to a simmer.

Remove from heat and discard the bouquet garni. Add the creme fraiche. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche, and either minced chives or scallions.

This dish highlights the Bay Area's summer gems. You can incorporate a variety of your favorite fresh, seasonal squash, such as crookneck or zucchini. Serve this with a green salad topped with roast chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

Calabacitas

1 ancho chile pepper, seeds and stem removed

1/2 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons locally produced butter

2 large leeks or 2 large onions, diced medium

1-2 gypsy peppers, diced small

5 medium summer squash, halved, then cut on the diagonal

1 sprig fresh marjoram or oregano, leaves minced

Kernels cut from 3 ears of corn

1/2 cup chicken broth or filtered water

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 medium heirloom tomatoes, diced into small cubes

Herbed Crema

2 green onions or 1 small bunch chives, minced

1/2 bunch cilantro, minced

3/4 cup locally produced creme fraiche

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the calabacitas: Put the ancho chile in a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Rehydrate the chile for about 15 minutes, then remove from the water and mince finely. Strain the soaking liquid and reserve.

In a heavy-bottom skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute until translucent. Add the gypsy peppers and squash and saute until they just begin to soften. Add the ancho chile, marjoram and corn kernels and stir until combined. Add the reserved chile soaking water and the broth and a pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary.

Add the tomatoes and keep cooking until they are just heated through. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings.

For the herbed crema: Stir the herbs into the creme fraiche. Add pinch of salt, if necessary.

To serve, ladle the calabacitas into a shallow bowl and serve with a big dollop of herbed crema.

June is when local lavender blooms. Eatwell Farm grows a low-camphor lavender called Grosso which is great for cooking because it lacks soapy overtones that other varieties can have.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pints local strawberries or other summer berries

1 pint half-and-half

1 stem fresh lavender, top 6 inches only

4 egg yolks

1/3 cup raw local honey, lavender or other mild variety

INSTRUCTIONS:

Stem and clean the berries. Put in bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan, heat the half-and-half and lavender stem over low heat until steam rises. Cover, remove from heat and steep for about 30 minutes.

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks. Temper the egg yolks by adding a ladleful of the half-and-half mixture to the yolks and whisking. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and stir. Return the pan to the stove and stir continuously over medium-low heat, cooking the custard until it has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not bring to a boil.

Remove from the heat and strain into a bowl. Continue to stir the mixture in the bowl until it is warm, not hot. Add the honey and stir until completely dissolved.

Divide the berries into serving bowls and pour the creme anglaise over them. Decorate with a sprig of lavender and serve.

This classic can be wonderful year-round. In summer, add some fresh green beans at the last minute. This recipe is best when made a day ahead. Fat in pastured beef varies widely, so you may wish to use less fat to brown the meat and/or trim the fat extensively.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Season the roast with salt and pepper to taste.

In a deep, heavy-bottomed pot (big enough to hold the roast with lid on), melt the fat over medium-high heat. Sear the meat in the pan, browning it on all sides. Remove the meat to a plate that can collect juices.

Add the onion to the pan and saute until translucent. Add the celery and saute for 3 minutes. Add the carrots and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the meat, meat juices and bouquet garni. Top with the optional wine and just enough beef stock or water so that the roast is submerged in liquid by three-quarters. Bring to a boil, then reduce to barely a simmer. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. Halfway through simmering process, turn the roast over.

Remove the roast to a plate and discard the bouquet garni. Puree the remaining mixture with an immersion blender or in a counter-top blender until smooth. Return the roast to pan, along with the potatoes and additional carrots, if using. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork- tender.

Add the green beans and 3/4 of the minced parsley. Simmer until the beans are soft, a few more minutes. Taste gravy and adjust seasonings.

If the gravy is greasy, remove the meat and vegetables from the gravy and refrigerate, then place the gravy in an airtight container and put in the freezer for a few hours or overnight. Remove the hardened fat from the gravy and discard. Reheat the gravy separately from the meat and vegetables.

Serve the meat on a platter, surrounded by the vegetables, and pass the gravy in a separate container. Garnish with the remaining parsley and creme fraiche.